Bedrail-supported tray



June 26, 1951 J. MADLENA 2,558,366

BEDRAIL SUPPORTED'TRAY Filed July 12, 1949 m i, w 25 Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEDRAIL-SUPPORTED TRAY John Madlena, Mount Morris, 111.

Application July 12, 1949, Serial No. 104,215

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to facilities for keeping articles at ones bedside. Often, it is advisable to have a medicine, a clock, a food article, a pair of glasses or other sundry needs where they can be readily reached while one is in bed, and receptacles for this purpose have been provided from time to time. However, the present invention deals with a receptacle which has novel means for mounting it on a bedrail, and one object thereof is to enable the receptacle to be quickly mounted or detached.

Another object is to design a receptacle of the above character in the form of a tray which is formed with means to support it from the bedrail.

An additional object is to provide means for adjusting the tray to bedrails of different thicknesses.

A further object is to design the novel tray along lines of simplicity and neatness.

With the above objects in view, and any others which may suggest themselves from the description to follow, a better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing, in Which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a bed, showing the novel bedside tray mounted in position for use;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tray;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a securing device; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In accordance with the foregoing, specific reference to the drawing indicates a typical bedstead at It, and one of its side rails at H.

The novel bedside tray l5 may be of any form,

but is preferably rectangular, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. It may be made of wood, metal or plastic material; and one of its walls is extended downwardly from the bottom with a strip [8 of substantial thickness, as shown in Fig. 3.

The tray receives an angle bar l8 next to its bottom, such bar having a down-flange l9 in parallel relation with the strip l6; and the angle bar is movable in relation to the latter to space the down-flange I9 from the strip [6 to a sufiicient extent to enable the tray to be mounted on the side rail ll of the bedstead, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Since bedrails occur in different thicknesses, the angle bar [8 is made adjustable in relation to the strip 16. Thus, the angle bar is made with a transverse slot 25 at a central point; and a screw 26 is directed from the bottom 21 of the tray [5 through the slot 25. The screw 26 has a flat head 29 which fits flushly in a cavity 30 in the bottom of the tray; and a knob having a fiat top 36 is tapped to receive the screw 26 as shown in Fig. 5. Thus, when the knob 35 is loosened slightly, the angle bar I8 may be adjusted to the proper spacing of the down-flange 2 I9 and the strip 16 to fit a given bedrail, and the knob turned tight to fix the adjustment.

It is now apparent that the novel tray, constructed as described, is an accessory which may be easily mounted astride a bedrail in order to support the tray 15 in a projected position at the side of the bed. In this manner, articles such as illustrated in Fig. 1 may be kept on the tray within handy reach of the bed occupant, rendering the articles highly convenient because of the tray. Further, the adjustment to fit the tray to rails of any width not only makes the tray readily adaptable to different beds, but also enables the rail engaging elements to be fitted closely in any given case, so that the tray will not vibrate, loosen or be subject to becoming upset or disengaged from the rail. Finally, it is apparent that the novel tray is made up of few parts which are simple, and presents a neat appearance.

While I have described the invention along specific lines, various minor changes or refinements may be made therein without departing from its principle, and I reserve the right to employ all such changes and refinements as may come within the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

I claim:

A tray applicable to the side rail of a bed comprising a receptacle having a pendent side wall extension designed to overlap the rail on the inner side, and means carried by the receptacle and applicable to the rail from the outside to dispose the receptacle in a straddling position over the rail, said means comprising an angle member which is shiftable laterally relative to the receptacle to be adjustable to rails of different thicknesses, such angle member having one wing slidable on the bottom of the receptacle and formed with a transverse slot, a screw depending from the receptacle through the slot, and a knob threaded on the screw and operable to clamp said wing to the receptacle.

JOHIN MADLENA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 598,895 Bell Feb. 15, 1898 1,224,127 Bartlett May 1, 1917 1,360,180 Congdon Nov. 23, 1920 1,453,186 Ruffin, Jr Apr. 24, 1923 1,485,223 Greene Feb. 26, 1924 1,700,834 Farr Feb. 5, 1929 1,713,116 Curtis May 14, 1929 1,841,264 Horner Jan. 12, 1932 1,850,599 Milner Mar. 22, 1932 1,974,213 Gilbert Sept. 18, 1934 2,296,028 Gribble Sept. 15, 1942 2,444,584 Touchett July 6, 1948 

